The present invention relates to a pouch for collecting liquid excretions, such as, for example, a urostomy pouch for collecting liquid human waste, said pouch comprising a first and second wall sealed together along their periphery defining an inlet top portion and a bottom portion defining a collection chamber, an inlet opening provided in the top portion of the first wall, and an anti-reflux film provided in the top portion between said first and second walls.
In order to avoid content from refluxing once it has entered the pouch it is well known to provide a non-return valve in the vicinity of the inlet opening through which urine exits the stoma and enters into the pouch. An example of such arrangement is known from EP 749 507 A2.
Other examples of non-return valve arrangements in urine collection pouches are known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,604,095 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,300,560.
The non-return valve arrangement comprises the provision of intermediate film portions which are attached to each other inside the pouch to form a valve arrangement which is arranged such that liquid is prevented from leaking through the valve arrangement and back towards the inlet opening. Typically, a valve flap is sealed to the first wall of the pouch and another valve flap is sealed adjacently to the second outer wall film of the pouch. The valve flaps may be sealed along their distal lower periphery and a further folded film may be attached to prevent back-flush through the valve. The valve flaps or intermediate walls are also welded to each other at a number of discrete spots linearly arranged across the pouch above the collection chamber where the liquid collects.
The anti-reflux valve arrangement in the pouch takes up a certain volume inside and thereby limits useful volume of the pouch. The urine pouches are designed as drainage bags with a drainage portion at the bottom with a drain valve close the drainage portion which compensates for the limited volume of the collection pouch.
The provision of a non-return valve film arrangement requires subassemblies during manufacture of the pouch prior to assembling the outer walls of the pouch.